Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 7 September 2018
1025. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to amend the renewable electricity support scheme and enact a measure to encourage the use of renewable energy on farms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35758/18]
View answerThe high level design of the new Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) was approved by Government on 24 July 2018 and the scheme will now go forward for EU State Aid approval. The RESS has been designed to deliver Ireland’s contribution towards an EU-wide renewable energy target of 32% out to 2030, within a competitive auction based, cost effective framework. The RESS will deliver a broader range of policy objectives including: the provision of pathways and supports for communities to participate in renewable energy projects; broadening the renewable electricity technology mix and increasing energy security, energy sustainability and ensuring the cost effectiveness of energy policy.
Key to the success of RESS will be the development of an enabling framework for community participation and this will be crucial to drive broader participation in Ireland’s transition to a more decentralised and decarbonised electricity system.
Within this framework, there will be opportunities for farming communities to participate in the community-led category of RESS. Furthermore there will be obligations on developer-led projects to offer mandatory investment opportunities to those living in proximity to these project looking for support under the RESS. My Department will engage further with all relevant stakeholders over the coming months on the detailed design of these community measures.
Furthermore, in July I launched a pilot support scheme for micro generation, targeting domestic customers and solar PV, with an emphasis on self-consumption and battery storage. Farm homes will be able to avail of this grant support to install solar PV panels on their roofs, thereby reducing their energy costs. The scheme will be subject to a six month review which will explore opportunities for broadening the scheme to include other technologies and to support other groups of users.
In addition to these opportunities, there are a number of other supports available to farmers under various schemes administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, including supports for solar PV for electricity production under the Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme (PPIS) as part of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes and supports for renewable heat technologies in the form of biomass boilers under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS). In addition, air-source heat pumps are currently supported under the PPIS and YFCIS schemes and they may be used as part of a water heater under the Dairy Equipment Scheme.
Complimentary programmes like these delivered across a number of Government Departments are crucial in delivering our climate and energy ambitions as laid out in the National Development Plan and Project Ireland 2040. The Deputy will also appreciate that in developing and expanding renewable energy support schemes that a careful balance must be struck between the subsidy to renewable generators, whether they be large or small, and the additional costs to pay for these schemes that are transferred to electricity bill payers. Proposals for all such schemes are and must be subject to careful economic appraisal.
